


A Promise

by AllieAster



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Mild Smut, Mutual Pining, Nerd Kageyama Tobio, Pining Hinata Shouyou, Romantic Fluff, Rough Kissing, Study Date, hinata just likes it a little bit rough, some groping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:49:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28586745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllieAster/pseuds/AllieAster
Summary: College-aged Hinata has the wrong thing on his mind. While he should be cracking open his textbooks for finals week, he can only think about one person: Kageyama Tobio, his best friend and study partner._______________________________________________________________________________Kagehina one-shot that is kinda smutty, very fluffy, and full of yearning.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 5
Kudos: 96





	A Promise

**Author's Note:**

> hi, hello. I wrote this all in one go on my drive back to my college so if there are mistakes, i apologize.  
> also: Ive been procrastinating 'Built Different' by writing this but I promise a chapter is coming soon! Just hang tight a little longer :)

Hinata sipped on his coffee, watching the ice clink together as he swirled the plastic cup. He’d been at the library for hours and had made exactly three trips to the campus Starbucks in that time. He was determined to make a fourth. 

He pushed his textbook aside—not that he was reading it in the first place—and glanced at Kageyama. He was deep between the covers of his own book. Knowing Kageyama, he was probably stuck reading the same damn explanation of the passive voice over and over again. He could practically picture the steam wafting out of his best friend’s ears.

Hinata set down his cup, “Kageyama.” 

Kageyama grunted, picking up a highlighter. Hinata watched him press down on the pages of the textbook—hard. The pink streak of highlighter glowed on the page like a neon sign. It seemed to warn ‘Looking for some boring shit? Try here!’ to any wandering eyes. 

“Kageyamaaa.” 

He picked at the edge of Kageyama’s textbook without really thinking, rolling the page between the tips of his fingers. Without looking up, Kageyama tried swatting his hand away. Hinata swatted back.

“Hey!” 

“Shhh, we have to be quiet in here,” Hinata whispered. 

Kageyama glared at him, the edges of his lips turned down in a scowl. Those lips had taken up a sizable amount of Hinata’s brain lately. Too much, actually. Hinata figured if he could find a way to stop thinking about them and free up some space in his mind, he could finally study. 

“Stop being a little shit and I wouldn’t have to yell.” 

Kageyama rolled his neck to the side with a satisfying pop before diving back into his work. Hinata knew Kageyama had been at the library for longer. His papers had already been separated, one pile per subject, around the table when Hinata showed up. Frustration prickled at Hinata’s throat. He let out a long sigh. 

They’d both been pretty average at their studies in high school, focusing on volleyball more than anything. He hadn’t forgotten the incident in their first year when they’d failed so badly that they almost missed a game. 

Later that summer, when they’d hung out to study but ended up abandoning their homework packets, Kageyama made a promise. 

“Hey, I think, uh, I think I'm going to get a tutor for next year," he said. "I don't know. My parents are still working out the details. But I’m going to do better. I have to." 

Hinata had been lounging in the grass, soaking in the sun like a lazy cat. He rolled on to his stomach and looked up at Kageyama. 

“Why?” He added, “You’ll probably get into college on a sports scholarship so it doesn’t really matter.” 

Kageyama sat beside him. The sunlight shadowed his face but made the highlights of his dark hair shimmer. 

“That's not—I can’t risk not playing volleyball again,” he said. 

Hinata pulled at a blade of grass. He knew that he sucked at school, at studying. It wasn’t because he didn’t try—believe him, he tried. But for some reason, the formulas and rules he went over jumbled together when it came time to put them in to practice. After so many bad grades, Hinata just had to accept that his brain was built for other things.

“Yeah, me too,” he answered. 

Kageyama raked his hand through Hinata’s hair, pausing to tug at the crown of his head. He’d done it hundreds of times before but this time, it was softer. It seemed to reassure him that Kageyama was going to be there, working beside him on something other than volleyball.

“Besides,” Hinata said, practically buzzing from the gesture, “I’m not going to let you beat me by getting better grades!” 

And Hinata kept his promise, scraping by just enough to graduate and get into the same university as Kageyama, albeit on a volleyball scholarship. The first couple months of college were rough. He’d missed homework assignments and turned in a couple late essays which meant that he had to ace his winter finals. 

Kageyama struggled too, just not as often. He ended up being surprisingly good at school when he could focus on his interests. Unlike Hinata who struggled turning in work for almost all his classes. As Hinata continued to reread the same paragraph over and over, he realized he might end up breaking his promise.

“I think I need a refill,” he said. 

Kageyama gripped his wrist and pulled him back down, “What you need is to get to work.” 

“But this environment is so stifling! It’s too quiet a-and I’m stuck with my own thoughts—” 

“Good,” he said. “So take those thoughts and finish your assignment.” 

“You know that’s not what I meant,” Hinata pouted. 

Kageyama finally looked up from his book. He glared at Hinata, his brows knitted together. Finally, he sandwiched his papers between the pages of his textbook and snapped it shut. 

“Fine,” he said. 

Hinata’s eyes widened, “Fine?” 

“We can go back to your dorm.” 

“When you say it that way, Kageyama—” 

“To study,” Kageyama added. 

Hinata suppressed a smile as he gathered up his things. He held his blank notebook paper in his hand for a second. Then he crumpled it and tossed it into the recycling bin. 

“It’s not like I wrote any notes down,” Hinata said. 

Kageyama brushed past him and swiped his student ID at the library doors. 

A cold breeze blew past. Hinata shivered, pulling the collar of his sweatshirt over his blushing nose and cheeks. His shoes crunched against the slushy ground as Kageyama and him trekked back to their dorms. 

By the end of third year, Hinata knew they were going to the same college. What he didn’t expect was Kageyama ending up in the dorm right across the hall . It was a welcome surprise. They had different classes but they still managed to exist in the same space together. A part of him was relieved to have a friend close by, even if it was his grumpy former rival. 

“It’s freezing out. I feel my hair turning into mini popsicles.” 

“Should've worn a jacket.” 

“Kageyama!” 

Hinata shoved Kageyama’s shoulder, lightly, but the other boy didn’t brush him off. They crossed the street into the older part of the campus, leaving behind the boxy, modern buildings for the ancient residence halls. 

“What were you even struggling with?” 

“In the library? Uh, a study packet,” Hinata said. “I bombed my last test test so I have to do well on the final or I won’t pass the class.” 

Kageyama winced. Physically winced. Hinata saw his eyebrows scrunch and his mouth twitch downward. He wouldn't point it out to Kageyama, though.

Hinata tapped his fingers against the cover of his textbook and waited for Kageyama to unlock the door to their building. Failing wasn’t even that big of a deal. Lots of people failed a class or two before they really got the hang of college. He wasn’t even sure why Kageyama cared so much. 

The lock clicked and Hinata reached for the handle. He looked over his shoulder at Kageyama, taking him in. Mouth slack, eyelids lowered, no visible scowl on his face. He didn’t look annoyed like before. It was Hinata’s chance. 

“I’m trying, Kageyama,” he said. “I really am trying.” 

Hinata put all the sincerity he could muster into his gaze. He bit his lip, hoping Kageyama would somehow pick up on the feeling. ‘I remember,’ he wanted to shout, ‘I remember the promise we made. There’s no way in hell I’m leaving you alone on that court.’ 

“Just show me what you need to go over,” Kageyama said. “And you owe me a hot chocolate tomorrow.” 

Hinata jogged up the grimy staircase leading to their rooms on the second floor. He kept his head lowered in an attempt to hide the brightness in his eyes. Whatever higher power existed up above, Hinata thanked them. He was finally going to get some help, some relief.

‘Please let me get this work done quickly,’ he thought. 

An hour of sitting at his dorm's tiny desk proved otherwise. Kageyama lounged on the bed, lazily passing a volleyball from hand to hand. Hinata rubbed his eyes and checked the time on his phone. It was past midnight. 

“Fuck, I’m never gonna get this,” he said. 

“Hinata, read it again.” 

“It’s just not sticking!” 

Hinata pushed away from the desk, crossing his arms with a resigned finality. All his worry and exhaustion felt heavy on his shoulders. He jumped on to his lofted bed and grabbed the volleyball out of Kageyama’s hands. 

“I don’t get it,” Hinata said. “It’s like I’m studying but I’m not absorbing anything.” 

“Even with that big head of yours?” 

Hinata pushed the volleyball against Kageyama's chest, “My head’s not that big.” 

They fell into an easy rhythm of passing the ball back and forth. Hinata sighed. He had three more pages to read and review with his study guide. If he’d started two weeks ago, he could’ve been finished. 

“I gave it the old college try,” Hinata whispered, "but I think this is the end for me. Sorry." 

Kageyama grasped the ball, pulling it towards his chest, "Stop talking like you're dead." 

"My mom's going to kill me when she finds out I'm failing." 

Kageyama leaned over to grasp at Hinata's hair. Hinata noticed a soft blush and a dusting of freckles across Kageyama’s cheeks. He made a mental note to tease him about it later. 

“Why don’t you just read it out loud?” 

“Tried it before,” Hinata sighed, “I still can’t stay focused.” 

“You should try reading and passing at the same time.” 

Hinata considered it. It seemed counterintuitive but it might work. Maybe if he was doing something he was good at, his brain would be more open to learning new information. 

Hinata reached for his textbook and pulled it on to his lap. He lined up his study guide on the page and began reading out loud. His voice was hoarse but he couldn’t tell if it was from tiredness or nerves.

Kageyama listened to him, passing the ball back and forth but keeping his eyes locked on Hinata. He brought the same intensity he used on the court to studying. 

“Jeez, Kageyama. Don’t look so scary.” 

Kageyama frowned, “I don’t look scary.” 

“Your face—,” Hinata paused, “It’s just really weird reading out loud.” 

It took a couple more paragraphs before Hinata got into a groove. The chapter was focused on some sort of nutrition facts for his health class. After a while, the words seemed to flow right off his tongue. Hinata volleyed the ball back and forth with each property of amino acids he recited. 

“So trans fatty acids have the double bond on the same side—” 

The ball sat flat in Hinata’s right palm. Kageyama’s hand brushed against the side of it and rested there. Hinata glanced at him. His eyes had gone unfocused, hazy, and his face softened. Hinata would've guessed Kageyama'd fallen asleep until Hinata felt the pads of his fingers on the back of his hand. 

Hinata’s stomach flipped and he swallowed in an attempt to keep his voice level, “A-and that means they have different, um, properties.”

Hinata dropped the ball into his lap, pushing the book on to the cover of his bed. His voice still carried but his mind was blank. Kageyama was touching him. Kageyama was touching him, gently. It was more of a caress, really. Hinata could only hope about what it meant. 

“These properties account for different things,” he said, “such as, uh, solidity at room temperature.” 

His skin prickled. Kageyama moved his hand up from Hinata’s palm to his wrist, his upper arm, across his back, until his arm rested across Hinata’s shoulders. Hinata's heart hammered against his ribcage. He could feel Kageyama’s chest resting against his back and Hinata knew he was in the same boat. 

Hinata sucked in a breath, “Lipids will—Oh, fuck it.” 

He turned towards Kageyama and pulled him in tightly. Tugging Kageyama’s chin downward, he slotted their lips together before licking into his friend’s mouth. 

Kageyama let out a low groan and his voice was raspy when he spoke, "You're so eager." 

It took every ounce of Hinata’s self control not to jump Kageyama’s bones on the spot. A loud thud snapped them both out of their lusty haze. Hinata looked over the side of his bed. His textbook laid open on the floor, face up, and his papers fluttered in every direction. 

Hinata shot him a sly grin, “Oops. My bad.” 

“Pff. Like you actually give a shit about that textbook.” 

“Oh, Kageyama,” Hinata crooned, “I forgot you’re an ultra nerd. Don’t let me be a bad influence on you.” 

Hinata cut off the budding insult on Kageyama’s tongue with a chaste kiss.

Kageyama placed his hands on Hinata’s waist, pulling him on top of his lap. He held his hands there, firmly. Electricity danced across Hinata’s skin. ‘More,’ he thought, ‘I want more. I need more.’ 

Hinata sucked on Kageyama’s bottom lip while letting his hands explore. He felt Kageyama’s broad shoulders, his muscled arms from years of volleyball. Setters arms. HIS setter’s arms. He kissed down Kageyama’s neck and felt a flash of annoyance when he reached the collar of his sweatshirt. 

But he wasn’t the only one exploring. Kageyama’s hands ran through his hair and gripped his neck. His touch was softer, lighter, and more cautious than Hinata’s desperate groping. Kageyama let his hands fall to the small of Hinata’s back. He let out a noise of his own when Kageyama gave his ass a squeeze. 

“Hinata?” 

Hinata looked up at Kageyama’s face. His eyes were lidded and his lips were swollen pink. It was the face he’d obsessed about, fantasized about, for years. If Kageyama’s face was a college class, Hinata would be passing with flying colors. 

Hinata let out a breath, “Yeah?” 

“I remember our promise. I remember.” 

__________________________________________

Even though he didn’t come close to finishing his study guide, Hinata passed his final. In fact, Hinata managed to pass all his finals. He still doesn’t understand how he did it. But when people ask him about it, he chalks it up to one reason. 

“I got a little encouragement from someone I know.”

**Author's Note:**

> okay i am an Actual Nerd and very much inexperienced so if the ~spicy~ bits are a lil bland, im sorry haha


End file.
